Virginia

[Alex4897]

I-95 in SC is much more acceptable being 2 lanes because I-95 south of Richmond sees a tremendous drop in volume that doesn't really pick up til Florida.

Someone's never experienced the jams approaching the Georgia line.

[sprjus4]

I-95 in SC is much more acceptable being 2 lanes because I-95 south of Richmond sees a tremendous drop in volume that doesn't really pick up til Florida.

Someone's never experienced the jams approaching the Georgia line.

I'm wondering what's going to happen in a few years when I-95's 8 lanes in North Carolina hits any of the 4 locations will it drop to 4 lanes on a peak weekend.

[hbelkins]

Moreover, IF I-95 were actually built to the standards it needs to be, 12 lanes, in Northern VA, then fewer people would seek the I-81 route.

I-81 and I-95 do not compete for the same traffic. They go totally different places and serve totally different areas of the country. I-95 is primarily an Atlantic coast route. I-81 serves (and please don't anyone go off on a tangent on how a route cannot serve a state it does not enter) pretty much everything to the southwest of Virginia. The I-15/40/81/78 corridor is the preferred trucking corridor from the LA area to the NYC area. I-81 could really stand to be three lanes all the way from I-40 to I-78.

I'm guessing you have never been caught behind two micropassing trucks on I-81 in Virginia where one of the truckers disobeys the regulatory sign that directs traffic operating below the posted speed limit to stay in the right lane.

[wriddle082]

I-95 in SC is much more acceptable being 2 lanes because I-95 south of Richmond sees a tremendous drop in volume that doesn't really pick up til Florida.

Someone's never experienced the jams approaching the Georgia line.

I'm wondering what's going to happen in a few years when I-95's 8 lanes in North Carolina hits any of the 4 locations will it drop to 4 lanes on a peak weekend.

What a lot of folks don't realize about SC in general is that one major N-S corridor that funnels snowbird traffic just flat out ends in the middle of the state: I-77.  That traffic has to go to some other road.  A very small percentage jumps off onto I-20, mostly west, but the vast majority goes to I-26 east in order to reach I-95 south.  And therein lies the biggest problems.  The route between Columbia and Savannah along 26 east and 95 south pretty much stays miserable on the weekends.  They design/build widened a few miles of it leaving Columbia a few years ago but it most definitely wasn't enough.  Anyway the big priorities for SC should be 6 lane widening all of 26 from 385 in Clinton all the way to Charleston, including 8 lanes through the Columbia area, and 6 lanes for 95 from Georgia to I-26.  Then maybe 6-lanes from Florence to the BC line if it starts to become more of a problem.  The stretch of 95 between 26 and 20 will probably still be OK with four lanes for a bit longer.

[bluecountry]

Moreover, IF I-95 were actually built to the standards it needs to be, 12 lanes, in Northern VA, then fewer people would seek the I-81 route.

I-81 and I-95 do not compete for the same traffic. They go totally different places and serve totally different areas of the country. I-95 is primarily an Atlantic coast route. I-81 serves (and please don't anyone go off on a tangent on how a route cannot serve a state it does not enter) pretty much everything to the southwest of Virginia. The I-15/40/81/78 corridor is the preferred trucking corridor from the LA area to the NYC area. I-81 could really stand to be three lanes all the way from I-40 to I-78.

I'm guessing you have never been caught behind two micropassing trucks on I-81 in Virginia where one of the truckers disobeys the regulatory sign that directs traffic operating below the posted speed limit to stay in the right lane.

I have actually, 95 is a much bigger priority and I can say many snowbirds use 81 due to 95 being so bad.

[1995hoo]

I-95 in SC is much more acceptable being 2 lanes because I-95 south of Richmond sees a tremendous drop in volume that doesn't really pick up til Florida.

Someone's never experienced the jams approaching the Georgia line.

I'm wondering what's going to happen in a few years when I-95's 8 lanes in North Carolina hits any of the 4 locations will it drop to 4 lanes on a peak weekend.

I'd guess it'll be similar to what happens now on northbound I-95 in Georgia approaching the South Carolina state line when it slows to a crawl due to lane drops.

Regarding hbelkins's comment, the points he makes underscore the reason I-81 has been called the "NAFTA Highway" (even recognizing NAFTA has been superseded by the USMCA).

[sprjus4]

I'd guess it'll be similar to what happens now on northbound I-95 in Georgia approaching the South Carolina state line when it slows to a crawl due to lane drops.

The worse part IMO will be the Fayetteville Bypass. It will be 8 lanes on either side only to narrow to 4 along the bypass portion.

Hopefully that part can get addressed ASSP so there is a continuous ~60 mile 8 lane portion with only drops on the ends and not in the middle.

The northern portion will be probably less problematic since the lane drop will be where a lot of vehicles will split towards I-40 West, whereas the southern end at I-74 doesn't have a lot of vehicles switching highways, the most would stay on I-95.

[VTGoose]

What a lot of folks don't realize about SC in general is that one major N-S corridor that funnels snowbird traffic just flat out ends in the middle of the state: I-77.  That traffic has to go to some other road.  A very small percentage jumps off onto I-20, mostly west, but the vast majority goes to I-26 east in order to reach I-95 south.  And therein lies the biggest problems.  The route between Columbia and Savannah along 26 east and 95 south pretty much stays miserable on the weekends.

...and weekdays, and holidays, and any day ending in 'y'. While getting off topic for Virginia (other than the impact on I-95), an extension of I-77 from Columbia, via I-20 to Augusta then south to Valdosta, Ga. would provide an alternate route over the I-26/I-95 mess, especially for those headed to I-75 and the west coast of Florida. This would also be a way for midwest traffic to avoid the mess that is Atlanta.

As to my alleged "ROVA inferiority complex" -- FU. I-81 was recognized years ago as a major problem due to the limits of two lanes. Solutions were proposed but scrapped and the problem has only gotten worse. Ask any long-distance trucker how their day goes when one of their colleagues jackknifes his rig or puts it in a ditch and shuts down both lanes for hours. Moving freight is more important than getting bureaucrats to and from their office.

[Dirt Roads]

The worse part IMO will be the Fayetteville Bypass. It will be 8 lanes on either side only to narrow to 4 along the bypass portion.

Hopefully that part can get addressed ASSP so there is a continuous ~60 mile 8 lane portion with only drops on the ends and not in the middle.

The northern portion will be probably less problematic since the lane drop will be where a lot of vehicles will split towards I-40 West, whereas the southern end at I-74 doesn't have a lot of vehicles switching highways, the most would stay on I-95.

Assuming that you are talking about I-295 in North Carolina (and not I-95 between the eventual ends of I-295), this route was never intended to be a bypass for through traffic.  Once completed, traffic on the south end of I-295 will be primarily headed for Fort Bragg (via the base access road) and Sanford (via NC-87), plus local traffic west of Fayetteville.  On the other hand, the northern part of I-295 will handle Fort Bragg traffic plus the local traffic west of Fayetteville.  I'd be surprised if the northern part of I-295 needs to be widened anytime soon, and when it does it still won't get ranked very high on the STIP list.

On the other hand, I might still use I-295 as a full bypass sometime just to see something new along the way.

[hbelkins]

Regarding hbelkins's comment, the points he makes underscore the reason I-81 has been called the "NAFTA Highway" (even recognizing NAFTA has been superseded by the USMCA).

I'd only heard that term used for I-69.

What a lot of folks don't realize about SC in general is that one major N-S corridor that funnels snowbird traffic just flat out ends in the middle of the state: I-77.  That traffic has to go to some other road.  A very small percentage jumps off onto I-20, mostly west, but the vast majority goes to I-26 east in order to reach I-95 south.  And therein lies the biggest problems.  The route between Columbia and Savannah along 26 east and 95 south pretty much stays miserable on the weekends.

...and weekdays, and holidays, and any day ending in 'y'. While getting off topic for Virginia (other than the impact on I-95), an extension of I-77 from Columbia, via I-20 to Augusta then south to Valdosta, Ga. would provide an alternate route over the I-26/I-95 mess, especially for those headed to I-75 and the west coast of Florida. This would also be a way for midwest traffic to avoid the mess that is Atlanta.

As to my alleged "ROVA inferiority complex" -- FU. I-81 was recognized years ago as a major problem due to the limits of two lanes. Solutions were proposed but scrapped and the problem has only gotten worse. Ask any long-distance trucker how their day goes when one of their colleagues jackknifes his rig or puts it in a ditch and shuts down both lanes for hours. Moving freight is more important than getting bureaucrats to and from their office.

A neighbor wintered in Florida for several years. He took to using I-26 to I-95 to avoid Atlanta on his drives there and back. So there is precedent for people using parts of that corridor as a bypass of an x5 interstate -- just not 95.

I remember the proposals to build truck-only lanes for I-81 that would have interchanges only at major intersecting routes.

[Mapmikey]

The worse part IMO will be the Fayetteville Bypass. It will be 8 lanes on either side only to narrow to 4 along the bypass portion.

Hopefully that part can get addressed ASSP so there is a continuous ~60 mile 8 lane portion with only drops on the ends and not in the middle.

The northern portion will be probably less problematic since the lane drop will be where a lot of vehicles will split towards I-40 West, whereas the southern end at I-74 doesn't have a lot of vehicles switching highways, the most would stay on I-95.

Assuming that you are talking about I-295 in North Carolina (and not I-95 between the eventual ends of I-295), this route was never intended to be a bypass for through traffic.  Once completed, traffic on the south end of I-295 will be primarily headed for Fort Bragg (via the base access road) and Sanford (via NC-87), plus local traffic west of Fayetteville.  On the other hand, the northern part of I-295 will handle Fort Bragg traffic plus the local traffic west of Fayetteville.  I'd be surprised if the northern part of I-295 needs to be widened anytime soon, and when it does it still won't get ranked very high on the STIP list.

On the other hand, I might still use I-295 as a full bypass sometime just to see something new along the way.

He was referring to 95's lane drops in each direction at the 95 Bus interchanges, thus 95's bypass of Fayetteville.

2019 AADT 95 just north of Exit 40 - 40000
95 between Exit 33 and Exit 40 - 55500

Oddly traffic counts north and south of Exit 56 are the same each year for several years running which is non-sensical. In 2010, about 25% of traffic was to/from Exit 56

Also when 295 is open south of Exit 40 that will take a fair amount of traffic away from the lane drop northbound.

So maybe it won't be too bad most of the time. IIRC NC wants to 6 lane 95 around Fayetteville.

[sprjus4]

^ Yes, that was what I was referring to, the I-95 portion around Fayetteville, not I-295. I-295 acts as a radial beltway and a local route for Fayetteville, not long distance traffic.

NCDOT's proposal was 8 lanes I believe, not 6 lanes. 6 lanes on I-95 was proposed south of I-74 and north of Kenny I believe.

[Mapmikey]

^ I could be wrong, but doesn't I-81 have more truck traffic than I-95?

As a percentage of traffic, I-81 in the Christiansburg-Roanoke area has 21-25% truck traffic whereas I-95 between Richmond and Fredericksburg has 9-14%.

[wriddle082]

^ I could be wrong, but doesn't I-81 have more truck traffic than I-95?

As a percentage of traffic, I-81 in the Christiansburg-Roanoke area has 21-25% truck traffic whereas I-95 between Richmond and Fredericksburg has 9-14%.

Yeah I feel like I-95 doesn't have nearly as much manufacturing or distribution along it as I-81, I-85, I-75, or other E-W interstates that link up with sea ports.  As a result, I've always had an easier time driving to FL via 95 versus 75, which usually has more trucks.

[plain]

I-95 definitely carries a lot of trucks, especially north of I-295. It just also happens to carry a lot of passenger vehicles to go along with it..

I've been bogged down on I-81 several times. Most, if not all of it in VA needs to be 6 lanes, which could also involve increasing its concurrency with I-77 to 8.

I-95 north of I-295 definitely needs to be 8, that's no question.

I-81 definitely has a higher percentage of trucks but still not as much overall traffic. But 4 lanes along its entirety is an absolute drag. Especially with more and more people using it to get around Bal/Wsh as time goes on.

[bluecountry]

What a lot of folks don't realize about SC in general is that one major N-S corridor that funnels snowbird traffic just flat out ends in the middle of the state: I-77.  That traffic has to go to some other road.  A very small percentage jumps off onto I-20, mostly west, but the vast majority goes to I-26 east in order to reach I-95 south.  And therein lies the biggest problems.  The route between Columbia and Savannah along 26 east and 95 south pretty much stays miserable on the weekends.

...and weekdays, and holidays, and any day ending in 'y'. While getting off topic for Virginia (other than the impact on I-95), an extension of I-77 from Columbia, via I-20 to Augusta then south to Valdosta, Ga. would provide an alternate route over the I-26/I-95 mess, especially for those headed to I-75 and the west coast of Florida. This would also be a way for midwest traffic to avoid the mess that is Atlanta.

As to my alleged "ROVA inferiority complex" -- FU. I-81 was recognized years ago as a major problem due to the limits of two lanes. Solutions were proposed but scrapped and the problem has only gotten worse. Ask any long-distance trucker how their day goes when one of their colleagues jackknifes his rig or puts it in a ditch and shuts down both lanes for hours. Moving freight is more important than getting bureaucrats to and from their office.

FU too brother.
95 is way more important and NOVA is way more important.
That stretch of 95 is awful on Saturdays and Sundays all year, when bureaucrats aren't going to the office.
It handles long distance east coast traffic and the metro area of the US Capital, so you show your ignorance and inferiority complex with that comment.

95 is the most critical corridor I would argue nationwie, way more important than SW VA, and again, if 95 ran better more trucks would take that route.

[plain]

What a lot of folks don't realize about SC in general is that one major N-S corridor that funnels snowbird traffic just flat out ends in the middle of the state: I-77.  That traffic has to go to some other road.  A very small percentage jumps off onto I-20, mostly west, but the vast majority goes to I-26 east in order to reach I-95 south.  And therein lies the biggest problems.  The route between Columbia and Savannah along 26 east and 95 south pretty much stays miserable on the weekends.

...and weekdays, and holidays, and any day ending in 'y'. While getting off topic for Virginia (other than the impact on I-95), an extension of I-77 from Columbia, via I-20 to Augusta then south to Valdosta, Ga. would provide an alternate route over the I-26/I-95 mess, especially for those headed to I-75 and the west coast of Florida. This would also be a way for midwest traffic to avoid the mess that is Atlanta.

As to my alleged "ROVA inferiority complex" -- FU. I-81 was recognized years ago as a major problem due to the limits of two lanes. Solutions were proposed but scrapped and the problem has only gotten worse. Ask any long-distance trucker how their day goes when one of their colleagues jackknifes his rig or puts it in a ditch and shuts down both lanes for hours. Moving freight is more important than getting bureaucrats to and from their office.

FU too brother.
95 is way more important and NOVA is way more important.
That stretch of 95 is awful on Saturdays and Sundays all year, when bureaucrats aren't going to the office.
It handles long distance east coast traffic and the metro area of the US Capital, so you show your ignorance and inferiority complex with that comment.

95 is the most critical corridor I would argue nationwie, way more important than SW VA, and again, if 95 ran better more trucks would take that route.

I seriously think you're underestimating the importance of I-81. Yes I-95 is the most slogged interstate overall, but I-81 is most definitely something that shouldn't be ignored. Anyone who's driven it knows it's been in trouble for a while now. It is a very important corridor and it's just going to get worse if something isn't done about it soon, especially the stretch through VA. This isn't just some interstate in the middle of nowhere, this is an extremely important corridor.

The stretch in question just happens to be in a state where a lot of money is needed for infrastructure improvements statewide. VA has a lot of things it has to deal with.

[Rothman]

I'm with HB: I-69 = NAFTA

[bluecountry]

What a lot of folks don't realize about SC in general is that one major N-S corridor that funnels snowbird traffic just flat out ends in the middle of the state: I-77.  That traffic has to go to some other road.  A very small percentage jumps off onto I-20, mostly west, but the vast majority goes to I-26 east in order to reach I-95 south.  And therein lies the biggest problems.  The route between Columbia and Savannah along 26 east and 95 south pretty much stays miserable on the weekends.

...and weekdays, and holidays, and any day ending in 'y'. While getting off topic for Virginia (other than the impact on I-95), an extension of I-77 from Columbia, via I-20 to Augusta then south to Valdosta, Ga. would provide an alternate route over the I-26/I-95 mess, especially for those headed to I-75 and the west coast of Florida. This would also be a way for midwest traffic to avoid the mess that is Atlanta.

As to my alleged "ROVA inferiority complex" -- FU. I-81 was recognized years ago as a major problem due to the limits of two lanes. Solutions were proposed but scrapped and the problem has only gotten worse. Ask any long-distance trucker how their day goes when one of their colleagues jackknifes his rig or puts it in a ditch and shuts down both lanes for hours. Moving freight is more important than getting bureaucrats to and from their office.

FU too brother.
95 is way more important and NOVA is way more important.
That stretch of 95 is awful on Saturdays and Sundays all year, when bureaucrats aren't going to the office.
It handles long distance east coast traffic and the metro area of the US Capital, so you show your ignorance and inferiority complex with that comment.

95 is the most critical corridor I would argue nationwie, way more important than SW VA, and again, if 95 ran better more trucks would take that route.

I seriously think you're underestimating the importance of I-81. Yes I-95 is the most slogged interstate overall, but I-81 is most definitely something that shouldn't be ignored. Anyone who's driven it knows it's been in trouble for a while now. It is a very important corridor and it's just going to get worse if something isn't done about it soon, especially the stretch through VA. This isn't just some interstate in the middle of nowhere, this is an extremely important corridor.

The stretch in question just happens to be in a state where a lot of money is needed for infrastructure improvements statewide. VA has a lot of things it has to deal with.

I agree that 81 shouldn't be ignored, but it's behind 95 in line.

[1995hoo]

I haven't heard a single credible argument by bluecountry because all he says is, essentially, "I say so and I'm right." Kind of reminds me of "I think this is needed."

[Takumi]

I haven't heard a single credible argument by bluecountry because all he says is, essentially, "I say so and I'm right." Kind of reminds me of "I think this is needed."

there's my plan

[D-Dey65]

Well, speaking as somebody who has driven I-95 in all of Virginia and more, I say I-95 needs an extra lane from Petersburg to Georgia. One problem with doing so is that it would force both the Virginia and North Carolina Welcome Centers further away from the road, and the entrances to both of them would start across the state lines. Or at least the entrance to the Virginia Welcome Center would.

[1995hoo]

Why would it be a problem for a welcome center entrance to start on the other side of the state line? What difference does that make?

[D-Dey65]

Well, Northampton County and the State of North Carolina would have to accept the extension from north of the border, but I don't think they'd be so uncooperative about that. It would still have to happen, because there's no room to do it any other way.

[Mapmikey]

Well, Northampton County and the State of North Carolina would have to accept the extension from north of the border, but I don't think they'd be so uncooperative about that. It would still have to happen, because there's no room to do it any other way.

The I-95 NB Virginia Welcome Center entrance ramp already starts 0.1 miles south of the state line.